08/27/2026
Hey everyone! It’s that time of year when we begin welcoming a number of retreat groups visiting the Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve.
Because our restaurant is located at the Forest, part of our agreement is providing meals for these retreat groups — something we genuinely love being a part of!
That said, some of these groups can be 50+ people, and with our restaurant capacity being just 55 guests, there will occasionally be times when we need to temporarily close the restaurant to the public during their meal service.
Depending on the size of the group and how our kitchen is set up for their meal, this may also mean that takeout is temporarily unavailable, particularly when the kitchen is at capacity or operating with a special menu/setup for the group.
We completely understand that arriving and finding us temporarily closed can be frustrating, which is one of the biggest reasons we strongly encourage making a reservation if you’re planning to dine with us.
If you have a reservation and we know there will be a conflict, we have your contact information and can give you a respectful heads-up ahead of time — rather than having you make the trip only to be disappointed.
We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we head into retreat season. We’ll always do our best to accommodate everyone whenever we can!
Thank you for supporting the Smokehouse! 🔥